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USask celebrates 30th anniversary of prairie-focused education program

The University of Saskatchewan is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of its education program, Prairie Horticulture Certificate (PHC).

In a recent release, the university acknowledged the milestone for the program which offers students the ability to study horticulture at their own pace to prepare for careers in the horticulture industry, start their own business and nurture a love of plants.

The PHC was created in response to student inquiries for a distance education program in which prairie plants and the environment were reflected in the course material.

Prior to the program, students only had the option of taking a horticulture diploma offered by the University of Guelph.

Students have the choice of four streams of study in the PHC: fruit and vegetable production, landscaping and arboriculture, greenhouse crop production, or nursery crop production.

All streams incorporate the prairie environment and provide effective horticulture skills to succeed in it.

The online program gives students hands-on learning experiences at home such as plant propagation.

Dr. Karen Tanino (PhD), a professor in the Department of plant Sciences and the founding chair of the PHC, developed the program with the then USask Extension Division and three other Prairie institutions: Olds College, University of Manitoba and Assiniboine Community College. She chaired the curriculum committee for 10 years.

“The Prairie Horticulture Certificate was the first of its kind in Canada to offer a distance education program co-ordinated between both universities and colleges,” said Tanino, in the release.

Jill Turner, PHC’s program director from 2010 until her retirement in 2022, was a PHC course designer since the program’s inception prior to her recent role and was the instructor of the Indoor Landscaping and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants courses.

“There is no other program like the PHC that offers students the opportunity to work at their own pace and at home,” said Turner, in the release.

“The program is recognized by the horticulture industry and PHC graduates have an advantage when applying for jobs,” said Turner. “The PHC has become the standard for training for City of Saskatoon employees and other municipal governments. Apprentices in the Landscape Horticulturist stream of the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Commission can now take the PHC program instead of having to travel out of province for the educational portion of the apprenticeship training.”

The program’s student audience spans wide with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education recognizing the PHC for the Additional Qualification Certificate under the technical or vocational program category for K-12 teachers.

Employees in the cannabis production industry have also benefitted from the education offered by the PHC.

“Learning never ends when it comes to growing plants,” said Helen Shook, a 2016 graduate of the program, in the release.

“If you are passionate about plants, continuous learning on the job is no hardship, and you will continue to grow as a professional in this rewarding field. The practice of growing plants – whether ornamental or for food – supports the health of the prairie ecosystem and many PHC grads make a difference in increasing local food production.”

Tanino looks forward to the future of the program, “the impact of the Prairie Horticulture Certificate is felt from the ground up across the Prairies,” said Tanino, in the release.

“Our success is planted in our learner-driven approach to grow and adapt with our students, the horticulture industry, and the prairie environment.”

More information on the program can be found here.